Atomic bomb blockbuster Oppenheimer leads Oscar nominations; Gerwig, Robbie, DiCaprio snubbed

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Oppenheimer, the epic film about the World War II race to build the first atomic bomb, landed a leading 13 Oscar nominations on Tuesday and cemented its role as frontrunner for the prestigious best picture trophy.

The three-hour drama directed by Christopher Nolan outpaced gothic comedy Poor Things, another best picture contender that scored 11 nominations for the film industry’s highest honors.

Both movies will compete with feminist doll adventure Barbie, Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, about the 1920s murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, among others.

Mr. Nolan, a best director nominee, said it was “a real thrill” to see Oppenheimer pile up so many nominations.

“I think it’s a great year for movies, and it’s a real honor to be included,” he said in an interview.

One of Hollywood’s most acclaimed filmmakers, Mr. Nolan has never had a film win best picture at the Academy Awards.

Oppenheimer is considered the favorite for the top prize this year, based on early awards season wins and polling of experts by the Gold Derby website. The movie was distributed by Comcast Corp.’s Universal Pictures.

The remaining best picture nominees were American Fiction, The Holdovers, Past Lives, The Zone of Interest, and French film Anatomy of a Fall.

Barbie, last year’s highest-grossing movie, received eight nominations, including supporting actress for America Ferrera — who gave a memorable monologue about the challenges of womanhood — and supporting actor for Ryan Gosling. Voters passed over lead actress Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig.

Oppenheimer secured a lead actor nomination for Cillian Murphy, who played scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, and for supporting cast Emily Blunt and Robert Downey, Jr.

With Barbie and Oppenheimer in the mix, the Oscars telecast on March 10 will showcase two big-screen blockbusters. The films collected nearly $2.4 billion combined in a summer box office battle dubbed “Barbenheimer.”

FIRST-TIME NOMINEES
Ten of the 20 acting contenders were first-time nominees. Among them were Native American Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, and Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction, the story of a Black writer fed up with book publishers pushing stereotypes.

Killers of the Flower Moon actor and past Oscar winner Robert De Niro received a supporting actor nomination for the movie.

Emma Stone nabbed a best actress nod for her role in Poor Things as Bella, a woman who goes on a journey of self-discovery after being raised from the dead. “I am forever thankful for the opportunity to play Bella and see the world through her eyes,” said Ms. Stone, another previous Oscar winner, who was also nominated for best picture as a Poor Things producer.

SNUBBS
Director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie, the women who helped make Barbie the runaway box office success of 2023, failed to land directing and lead actress Oscar nominations on Tuesday.

Their omissions sparked a sharp reaction from Barbie actor Ryan Gosling, who earned a best supporting actor nomination and lauded Ms. Gerwig and Ms. Robbie’s “talent, grit and genius.”

Leonardo DiCaprio, the lead actor in director Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, was also passed over by Hollywood’s film academy in that category.

Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon did snag two of the 10 best picture nominations, though they face formidable competition from the awards season frontrunner, Oppenheimer, which led Tuesday’s Academy Awards nominations with 13 nods.

Ms. Gerwig landed a nomination for best adapted screenplay for Barbie, along with her husband, Noah Baumbach. The movie, which earned over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office in 2023, snagged eight nominations in total, and Ms. Robbie is credited as a producer for the best picture nod.

Mr. Gosling, who played Ken opposite Ms. Robbie’s Barbie, said he was “extremely honored” by his nomination for best supporting actor, but added, “There is no Ken without Barbie.”

“And there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film,” Mr. Gosling said in a statement.

“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius,” he added. “To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.”

Also not making the Oscar nomination cut was Past Lives star Greta Lee, who was vying for a best actress nod for her role in the romantic drama set in Seoul, South Korea, and New York.

Joining her, Ferrari actress Penelope Cruz did not receive a nomination for her supporting role in the high-speed racing drama despite good reviews for her performance.

Bradley Cooper was left off the best director list for Maestro, though he was nominated for best actor for starring in the film as composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Cooper also was snubbed in the directing category for 2018 best picture nominee A Star is Born.

Among the overlooked films, The Color Purple, the musical adaptation of the 1982 book and the 1985 film, was almost completely shut out of the 2024 Oscars race, receiving only one nomination.

Danielle Brooks received the movie’s sole Oscars nod for best supporting actress, while American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino was snubbed for the best actress nomination.

Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the roughly 11,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The organization added more women and people of color to its ranks after the #OscarsSoWhite uproars of 2015 and 2016, and it increased membership from outside the United States. This year, votes came in from a record 93 countries.

Late-night talk show’s Jimmy Kimmel will for the fourth time host the Oscars ceremony, which will be broadcast live on Walt Disney’s ABC. — Reuters

Oscars 2024: full list of nominees

By Danielle Broadway

LOS ANGELES, Jan 23 — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Oscars nominations on Tuesday. Winners of the 96th Academy Awards will be announced at a live, televised ceremony from Hollywood on March 10.

The following is a full list of nominees.

Best Picture
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
Barbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Past Lives
Poor Thing
The Zone of Interest
Oppenheimer

Best Actor
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Cillian Murphy, OppenheimerJ
effrey Wright, American Fiction

Best Actress
Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Huller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Annette Bening, Nyad

Best Director
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Best Supporting Actor
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Best Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie

Best Adapted Screenplay
American Fiction
Barbie”
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Zone of Interest

Original Screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
May December
Past Lives
Maestro

Best Animated Feature Film
The Boy and the Heron
Elemental
Nimona
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Robot Dreams

Best Animated Short
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our UniformPachyderme
War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Best International Feature
Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society of the Snow, Spain
The Teachers’ Lounge, Germany
The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom

Best Documentary Feature
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol

Best Documentary Short
The ABCs of Book Banning
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai & Wai Po
The Barber of Little Rock
Island in Between

Best Original Score
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Original Song
“It Never Went Away,”
American Symphony
“I’m Just Ken,” Barbie
“What Was I Made For?,”Barbie
“The Fire Inside,” Flamin’ Hot
“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Sound
The Creator
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

Best Production Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Live Action Short
The After
Invincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Best Cinematography
El Conde
Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Golda
Society of the Snow
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Costume Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

Best Visual Effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon

Best Film Editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things